In 1979, a group of local volunteers wanted to provide our community with hospice services. The work of these wonderful volunteers led to the creation of Yolo Hospice. Yolo Hospice was developed on the principal that dying is a normal part of life and it affects the whole being; mind, body, and spirit. It also recognizes that the care of the dying person affects the family and all those that love them.
Yolo Hospice, a nonprofit, community-based organization, was run by volunteers until it became Medicare and Medi-Cal certified in 1995. Since then, Yolo Hospice has developed a highly trained interdisciplinary team that includes physicians, nursing staff, social workers, spiritual care counselors, nursing assistants, bereavement specialists, and a large base of volunteers specially trained in end-of-life care.
In 2016, Yolo Hospice introduced YoloCare, a patient-centered palliative care program to support patients with life-limited illnesses and their caregivers. The palliative care program provides an additional layer of support as patients manage the progression of their diagnosis and includes visits from physicians, nurses, social workers and counselors to provide medical, psycho-social and spiritual support as needed.
In 2020, Yolo Hospice moved to change the organization's name to YoloCares to highlight the wide variety of services offered to the community. From the adult day program, Galileo Place, to the counseling services available to community free of charge, YoloCares is much more than hospice. Today, YoloCares remains true to its mission of providing expert and compassionate hospice and palliative care, bereavement support and public education about end-of-life issues. YoloCares has never denied a patient who needed care, including those without financial resources or health insurance.